WEBVTT 00:00:06.068 --> 00:00:11.820 Today there are more than 1.5 billion Muslims living across the globe with Muslim majority 00:00:11.820 --> 00:00:14.809 countries spreading from Morocco to Indonesia. 00:00:14.808 --> 00:00:22.169 But just like virtually all other religions, Islam is not united and has branches interpreting 00:00:22.170 --> 00:00:28.599 Quran and matters related to political events in the history of Islam in a different way. 00:00:28.599 --> 00:00:36.049 The two main denominations of Islam are Sunnism and Shiism with Sunnis making up 85-90% of 00:00:36.049 --> 00:00:38.039 the Muslim population. 00:00:38.039 --> 00:00:40.738 But how did the split in the Muslim world happened? 00:00:40.738 --> 00:00:46.038 In today’s video we are going to talk about the schism in Islam, emergence of Sunni and 00:00:46.039 --> 00:00:50.140 Shia Islam and the effects it had on the Caliphate and beyond. 00:00:51.023 --> 00:00:56.114 We need to start our story with Ali ibn Abi Talib, one of the most important persons in 00:00:56.113 --> 00:00:58.012 the history of Islam. 00:00:58.012 --> 00:01:03.432 Ali was born in Mecca in the powerful Hashimi clan and was a cousin of the Muslim Prophet 00:01:03.432 --> 00:01:04.432 Muhammad. 00:01:04.433 --> 00:01:09.842 They had a strong bond, as Ali’s father had raised Muhammad when he became orphaned 00:01:09.841 --> 00:01:13.313 and later Ali would live in Muhammad’s household. 00:01:13.313 --> 00:01:19.022 When in 610 AD Muhammad proclaimed his prophethood, Ali was one of the first persons to accept 00:01:19.022 --> 00:01:22.393 Islam and recognize Muhammad as the prophet. 00:01:22.393 --> 00:01:28.251 But Muhammad’s proselytizing was not initially popular among the polytheistic Meccans and 00:01:28.251 --> 00:01:31.182 he and the early Muslims had been oppressed. 00:01:31.183 --> 00:01:36.092 The rumours of a plot against Muhammad were spreading, forcing him to leave Mecca for 00:01:36.091 --> 00:01:43.013 Medina with majority of his followers in 622, which was called Hijra - the migration - an 00:01:43.013 --> 00:01:49.153 event so momentous that the new Islamic calendar starts with that day. 00:01:49.153 --> 00:01:53.513 Initially Ali stayed behind to return people the possessions they had entrusted upon the 00:01:53.513 --> 00:02:00.332 Prophet for safekeeping, but very soon he joined other Muslims in Medina and in 623 00:02:00.332 --> 00:02:05.292 married Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah Zahra, becoming one of the most trusted companions 00:02:05.293 --> 00:02:06.883 of Muhammad. 00:02:06.882 --> 00:02:11.442 Known in the Muslim community for wisdom and fairness, he earned the nickname Asad Allah 00:02:11.442 --> 00:02:17.122 - the Lion of God - for his military exploits and courage on the battlefield. 00:02:17.122 --> 00:02:23.913 By 631 the Islamic community - the Ummah - had been able to assert control over Mecca and 00:02:23.913 --> 00:02:29.673 large swathes of the Arabian Peninsula and was already a formidable force, but who was 00:02:29.673 --> 00:02:32.722 going to succeed aging Muhammad? 00:02:32.722 --> 00:02:36.093 And this is the root of the split in Islam. 00:02:36.092 --> 00:02:41.971 As one would expect Sunni and Shia sources offer different interpretations. 00:02:41.972 --> 00:02:48.043 On the way back from his last pilgrimage Muhammad made a sermon at the Ghadir Khumm oasis, took 00:02:48.043 --> 00:02:55.533 Ali by his hand and proclaimed that "Anyone who has me as his Mawla , has Ali as his Mawla". 00:02:55.532 --> 00:03:00.961 Shia theology believes that in Ghadir Khumm the Prophet designated Ali as his successor 00:03:00.961 --> 00:03:07.001 by calling him Mawla - a polysemous Arabic word with several meanings, one of which is 00:03:07.002 --> 00:03:09.263 leader or master. 00:03:09.263 --> 00:03:14.703 Sunnis believe that the Ghadir Khumm episode was merely a proclamation of affinity of the 00:03:14.703 --> 00:03:20.563 Prophet to his loyal companion and son-in-law and interpret the word Mawla using its second 00:03:20.562 --> 00:03:23.272 definition - a friend. 00:03:23.272 --> 00:03:28.242 Another important episode in the succession dispute between the Sunni and Shia theologies 00:03:28.242 --> 00:03:32.432 is connected to the so-called Pen and Paper episode. 00:03:32.432 --> 00:03:38.263 This is considered a genuine hadith, as both Sunni and Shia theologians accept it, but 00:03:38.263 --> 00:03:39.783 interpret differently. 00:03:39.782 --> 00:03:45.882 In Islam, a hadith is a story on the life of Muhammad with religious and legal messages 00:03:45.883 --> 00:03:51.753 for the Muslim community, and according to this one, a few days before his death, Muhammad 00:03:51.752 --> 00:03:56.942 asked his companions to bring him pen and paper so that he could write a statement in 00:03:56.943 --> 00:04:00.683 order to prevent the Ummah from going astray after his death. 00:04:00.682 --> 00:04:06.513 But one of Muhammad’s closest companions Umar said: “The Prophet is seriously ill, 00:04:06.513 --> 00:04:11.212 and we have got Allah’s Book with us and that is sufficient for us”. 00:04:11.212 --> 00:04:16.082 This led to a loud dispute in the room in the presence of Muhammad, who got unhappy 00:04:16.083 --> 00:04:18.143 and called everyone to leave. 00:04:18.142 --> 00:04:21.822 It is still unclear what the prophet wanted to write. 00:04:21.822 --> 00:04:26.432 Shias claim that he intended to designate Ali as his successor, but there is no way 00:04:26.432 --> 00:04:28.502 to determine this. 00:04:28.502 --> 00:04:34.192 According to Sunnis, the Prophet did not explicitly designate a successor and left it for the 00:04:34.192 --> 00:04:36.752 Islamic community to decide. 00:04:36.752 --> 00:04:41.793 There are other events which Sunnis and Shia base their claims on regarding the succession, 00:04:41.793 --> 00:04:47.663 but in short following Muhammad’s death in 632, the Ummah did not have a consensus 00:04:47.663 --> 00:04:49.793 on a new leader. 00:04:49.793 --> 00:04:54.372 While Ali took charge of the arrangements of the funeral, a meeting to decide the successor 00:04:54.372 --> 00:04:56.403 took place in Medina. 00:04:56.403 --> 00:05:01.983 Ali and two other prominent companions of the Prophet Abu Bakr and Umar were not present 00:05:01.983 --> 00:05:04.992 and deliberations took place without them. 00:05:04.992 --> 00:05:10.783 In fact majority of those present were the Muslims residing in Medina, who welcomed Muhammad 00:05:10.783 --> 00:05:15.932 or were converted later, while very few of those who went on a Hijra from Mecca to Medina 00:05:15.932 --> 00:05:17.452 with Muhammad were there. 00:05:17.452 --> 00:05:23.282 Abu Bakr and Umar rushed to the meeting and took charge of the process in Ali’s absence. 00:05:23.283 --> 00:05:28.153 The latter was one of the first converts to Islam, Muhammad’s father-in-law through 00:05:28.153 --> 00:05:30.103 his daughter Aisha. 00:05:30.103 --> 00:05:35.682 Deeply respected by modern Sunnis, he was very rich and contributed a lot to the cause 00:05:35.682 --> 00:05:40.312 of Islam, and arguably one of the main contenders to leadership. 00:05:40.312 --> 00:05:45.533 Umar was also a close companion of Muhammad, also his father-in-law through his daughter 00:05:45.533 --> 00:05:49.182 Hafsa, known for his zealous protection of the Prophet. 00:05:49.182 --> 00:05:55.122 He is known as a just, intelligent and wise person in the Sunni tradition. 00:05:55.122 --> 00:06:00.973 After a heated debate, Umar was able to persuade those present to choose Abu Bakr as the successor 00:06:00.973 --> 00:06:04.533 - the Caliph, a ruler of the Muslim Ummah. 00:06:04.533 --> 00:06:10.083 Ali was later presented with the fact of succession and along with a number of other companions 00:06:10.083 --> 00:06:14.913 initially refused to accept the decision, as it was taken without him, while he was 00:06:14.913 --> 00:06:17.151 one of the strongest candidates. 00:06:17.151 --> 00:06:22.492 Umar embarked on the process of persuading or forcing the companions to offer fealty 00:06:22.492 --> 00:06:24.052 to Abu Bakr. 00:06:24.052 --> 00:06:27.523 He personally came to Ali’s house to persuade him. 00:06:27.523 --> 00:06:32.563 The events which followed have been the subject of much dispute, as the Sunnis believe that 00:06:32.562 --> 00:06:38.051 Umar was able to peacefully persuade Ali to recognize Abu Bakr’s Caliphate. 00:06:38.052 --> 00:06:43.473 According to Shia sources, Umar forced Ali to concede by breaking into the house, slamming 00:06:43.473 --> 00:06:49.323 the door, which broke Ali’s wife Fatimah Zahrah ribs, eventually leading to miscarriage 00:06:49.322 --> 00:06:50.632 of their child. 00:06:50.632 --> 00:06:54.492 Ali himself was tied with a rope to force his allegiance. 00:06:54.492 --> 00:07:00.432 It is impossible to verify what really happened, but eventually Ali accepted Abu Bakr and his 00:07:00.432 --> 00:07:04.872 successor Umar as caliphs and retired from public life. 00:07:04.872 --> 00:07:07.901 He was often consulted in matters of state. 00:07:07.901 --> 00:07:13.473 Ali accepted the selection of Umar as caliph and even gave one of his daughters, Umm Kulthūm, 00:07:13.473 --> 00:07:15.723 to him in marriage. 00:07:15.723 --> 00:07:22.163 After the death of Umar in 644, Ali was considered for the position, but eventually another companion 00:07:22.163 --> 00:07:26.473 of Muhammad, Uthman of the Banu Umayyah clan, became the new caliph. 00:07:26.473 --> 00:07:32.943 Again, Ali recognized the new caliph, but very soon discontent in the Caliphate grew. 00:07:32.942 --> 00:07:37.632 Again the sources do not agree on the reasons, but many claimed that Uthman’s nepotism 00:07:37.632 --> 00:07:43.622 and leniency towards tribal rivalries was the cause of the opposition against him. 00:07:43.622 --> 00:07:49.103 Rebels offered to support Ali as an alternative to Uthman, but Ali refused and even sent his 00:07:49.103 --> 00:07:54.923 sons Hassan and Husain to protect Uthman’s house, where eventually despite all the protection 00:07:54.923 --> 00:08:00.552 Uthman was assassinated by rebels from Egypt in 656. 00:08:00.552 --> 00:08:05.312 Finally Ali’s turn to become a caliph came and he became the fourth and the last of the 00:08:05.312 --> 00:08:06.632 Rashidun Caliphs. 00:08:06.632 --> 00:08:13.062 But his election was not smooth and he became a caliph amidst very tumultuous times. 00:08:13.062 --> 00:08:18.163 The Prophet’s wife Aisha and Uthman’s relatives from the Banu Umayyah clan, including 00:08:18.163 --> 00:08:23.802 the governor of Syria Muawiya demanded Ali to punish the plotters of Uthman’s death, 00:08:23.802 --> 00:08:29.052 but since some of them were Ali’s supporters, the new caliph rejected and soon the First 00:08:29.052 --> 00:08:32.842 Muslim Civil War, called Fitna started. 00:08:32.842 --> 00:08:39.002 In December 656, Ali’s army defeated the rebels at the Battle of Camel near Basra, 00:08:39.003 --> 00:08:45.003 but Muawiya still refused to accept Ali as a new caliph and the anti-Ali opposition gathered 00:08:45.003 --> 00:08:46.413 around him. 00:08:46.413 --> 00:08:51.552 Ali was willing to not repeat Uthman’s mistakes and carried out measures to centralize the 00:08:51.552 --> 00:08:55.052 caliphate and decrease the power of governors. 00:08:55.052 --> 00:09:00.413 The two men assembled their armies and confronted each other at Siffin, on the Euphrates, in 00:09:00.413 --> 00:09:01.413 657. 00:09:01.413 --> 00:09:07.373 Neither side was keen to commit to a major battle, but after three months of occasional 00:09:07.373 --> 00:09:12.543 skirmishes, when serious fighting finally broke out, Muawiya’s followers called for 00:09:12.543 --> 00:09:17.512 an arbitration, apparently after riding out with copies of the Quran on their lances to 00:09:17.511 --> 00:09:19.832 bring the conflict to a stop. 00:09:19.832 --> 00:09:25.822 Ali was forced to agree, but some of his followers objected and abandoned him; they became known 00:09:25.822 --> 00:09:32.393 as kharijis, from the Arabic verb kharaja to leave because they left Ali’s army. 00:09:32.393 --> 00:09:39.233 According to the arbitration, which took place at Adhruh in 658 or 659, it was ruled that 00:09:39.232 --> 00:09:44.322 both Ali and Muawiya should relinquish their claims and the Muslim Ummah should have a 00:09:44.322 --> 00:09:47.033 chance to choose their own ruler. 00:09:47.033 --> 00:09:52.423 Ali rejected this ruling and the stalemate continued as Muawiya’s supporters proclaimed 00:09:52.423 --> 00:09:55.982 him a caliph in Damascus in 660. 00:09:55.982 --> 00:10:01.192 The following year Ali was assassinated by the Kharijis while praying in the mosque at 00:10:01.192 --> 00:10:02.192 Kufa. 00:10:02.192 --> 00:10:07.952 Ali’s son Hasan was proclaimed a new caliph in Kufa, which became the capital during Ali’s 00:10:07.952 --> 00:10:09.252 short reign. 00:10:09.253 --> 00:10:14.633 But Muawiya had a far stronger army, thus Hasan stepped down as a caliph in order to 00:10:14.633 --> 00:10:19.643 avoid further bloodshed and a treaty between the sides was signed. 00:10:19.643 --> 00:10:23.613 According to the treaty: - Hasan accepted Muawiya as a caliph under 00:10:23.613 --> 00:10:26.453 the condition that he would act in accordance with Islam 00:10:26.452 --> 00:10:32.212 - Muawiya should not appoint a successor and a new caliph should be elected by the electoral 00:10:32.212 --> 00:10:37.362 council - Shura - Muawiya should abandon cursing Ali and persecuting 00:10:37.363 --> 00:10:40.313 Ali’s family and supporters. 00:10:40.312 --> 00:10:45.942 But Muawiya would not stay true to his pledges and towards the end of his reign he designated 00:10:45.942 --> 00:10:48.872 his son Yazid as a successor. 00:10:48.873 --> 00:10:53.903 This would be breaking off the tradition of the Islamic Caliphate as a state, which elected 00:10:53.903 --> 00:10:57.983 its leader through consultation or election, to a monarchy. 00:10:57.982 --> 00:11:03.902 Muawiya summoned the Shura in Damascus, the new capital of the Caliphate and through persuasion 00:11:03.903 --> 00:11:08.143 and bribery was able to secure support for Yazid. 00:11:08.143 --> 00:11:12.913 This development caused significant opposition in different quarters and this opposition 00:11:12.913 --> 00:11:18.673 started gathering around Muhammad’s grandson and Ali’s son, Husain, who replaced Hasan, 00:11:18.673 --> 00:11:22.413 who passed away in 670, as the leader. 00:11:22.413 --> 00:11:27.373 Despite the opposition, Muawiya was able to secure the support of Mecca and Medina for 00:11:27.373 --> 00:11:28.373 Yazid. 00:11:28.373 --> 00:11:34.403 Ali’s capital Kufa was the potential stronghold of the opposition and the death of Muawiya 00:11:34.403 --> 00:11:40.493 in 680 put the events, which would further divide the Islamic World, into action. 00:11:40.493 --> 00:11:45.533 Following Muawiya’s death Yazid became a new caliph and immediately demanded allegiance 00:11:45.533 --> 00:11:46.562 of Husain. 00:11:46.562 --> 00:11:51.913 Yazid’s envoy could not persuade Husain to do this and was afraid of killing him, 00:11:51.913 --> 00:11:55.033 since Husain was the Prophet’s grandson. 00:11:55.033 --> 00:12:00.003 Around the same time, the people of the city of Kufa started sending letters to Husain 00:12:00.003 --> 00:12:05.663 informing him about their opposition to the Umayyad rule, their support for him and intention 00:12:05.663 --> 00:12:09.653 to remove Yazid from power and install him instead. 00:12:09.653 --> 00:12:14.993 The Kufans sided with Ali during the first Fitna, continued to support his family by 00:12:14.993 --> 00:12:20.293 backing Hasan and were unhappy when he abdicated in favour of Muawiya. 00:12:20.293 --> 00:12:26.533 Husain accepted this call and sent his cousin Muslim ibn Aqil to Kufa to assess the situation 00:12:26.533 --> 00:12:28.572 and gather support. 00:12:28.572 --> 00:12:34.122 Initially, Muslim ibn Aqil was very successful and he informed Hussain of the progress. 00:12:34.123 --> 00:12:39.072 Yazid was forced to change the governor of Kufa to defeat the opposition in the city 00:12:39.072 --> 00:12:42.783 and the new governor succeeded in doing just that. 00:12:42.783 --> 00:12:48.233 With the support dwindling, Muslim ibn Aqil decided to carry out a revolt before Husain’s 00:12:48.232 --> 00:12:50.872 arrival, but it was defeated. 00:12:50.873 --> 00:12:57.093 Husain did not know about this and in September 680 started his journey towards Kufa with 00:12:57.092 --> 00:13:00.102 around 50 men and his family members. 00:13:00.102 --> 00:13:05.532 On the way Husain received information about the death of Muslim ibn Aqil and the defeat 00:13:05.533 --> 00:13:07.363 of the revolt in Kufa. 00:13:07.363 --> 00:13:12.283 He called on those who joined him on the way to leave, understanding the futility of his 00:13:12.283 --> 00:13:14.633 attempt to challenge Yazid. 00:13:14.633 --> 00:13:20.012 Very soon Yazid’s forces confronted Husain and an envoy of the Kufa’s new governor 00:13:20.011 --> 00:13:25.062 told Husain to come with him or turn back and go anywhere, but Medina. 00:13:25.062 --> 00:13:30.962 Husain refused and continued on his path with the envoys forces accompanying him. 00:13:30.962 --> 00:13:35.712 On the 2nd of October Husain reached Karbala and set camp there. 00:13:35.712 --> 00:13:41.362 On the following day Yazid sent additional 4k men to confront Husain. 00:13:41.363 --> 00:13:46.443 The Umayyad army had orders to prevent Husain’s men from accessing the Euphrates river, in 00:13:46.442 --> 00:13:50.232 order to force them to concede due to lack of water. 00:13:50.232 --> 00:13:56.012 But 3 days later Husain’s group was able to access water, creating a stalemate. 00:13:56.013 --> 00:14:01.163 For over a week Yazid’s officials had tried to persuade Husain to accept his fate and 00:14:01.163 --> 00:14:06.702 pledge allegiance to Yazid, since they understood the consequences of attacking the Prophet’s 00:14:06.702 --> 00:14:07.702 grandson. 00:14:07.702 --> 00:14:13.394 Ultimately, Husain refused the offers of Yazid and on the 10th of October the Umayyad army 00:14:13.394 --> 00:14:18.262 approached Husain’s camp and both sides took their battle positions. 00:14:18.261 --> 00:14:23.802 Husain’s companions fought valiantly, but the forces were extremely uneven - he and 00:14:23.802 --> 00:14:26.062 his men were massacred. 00:14:26.062 --> 00:14:31.692 This included 7 sons of Ali, including Husain himself, two of Husain’s son’s, three 00:14:31.692 --> 00:14:36.492 sons of his brother Hasan and other grandchildren of Ali. 00:14:36.493 --> 00:14:39.083 Many from the prophet’s family were killed. 00:14:39.082 --> 00:14:45.322 This was a final straw completing the schism in the Islamic world and dividing into Sunni 00:14:45.322 --> 00:14:46.873 and Shia. 00:14:46.873 --> 00:14:52.083 The process, which started with the dispute over succession to Muhammad and continued 00:14:52.082 --> 00:14:58.283 with killing of Ali and Husain caused the split of Islam with Shiat Ali - Ali’s Party 00:14:58.283 --> 00:15:03.502 - first becoming a political movement within Islam and later transforming into a branch 00:15:03.501 --> 00:15:09.673 of Islam offering alternative interpretation of Quran and Hadiths, its own view on Islamic 00:15:09.673 --> 00:15:15.043 jurisprudence, on state and some religious practices, venerating the People of the House 00:15:15.043 --> 00:15:20.163 (Ahl al-Bayt) Muhammad’s direcet descendants as his righteous succesors. 00:15:20.163 --> 00:15:25.632 The Sunni, also known as The People of the Sunnah and the Community - Ahl as-Sunnah wa 00:15:25.631 --> 00:15:31.182 l-jamaah) remained the majority in Islam and although naturally there have been some transformation 00:15:31.182 --> 00:15:36.102 in the Sunni Islam in comparison with early Islam coming with new times and different 00:15:36.102 --> 00:15:41.232 interpretations of holy texts by the Sunni scholars, the main distinctions between the 00:15:41.232 --> 00:15:46.612 two largest branches of Islam go back to the events we have described above. 00:15:46.613 --> 00:15:51.553 And while the Sunni theology respects the Ahl al-Bayt as well, it rejects the premise 00:15:51.552 --> 00:15:56.052 that the Islamic Ummah should be ruled by Ahl al-Bayt. 00:15:56.052 --> 00:16:01.011 The Killing of Ali, massacre of Husain, his family members and companions strengthened 00:16:01.011 --> 00:16:06.722 the sense of injustice against the Prophet’s family among the Shia Muslims and turned martyrdom 00:16:06.722 --> 00:16:08.572 into one of its main pillars. 00:16:08.572 --> 00:16:13.351 Ali’s martyrdom during the prayer, Husain’s martyrdom during the struggle against the 00:16:13.351 --> 00:16:19.151 perceived tyrant and usurper, turned into a powerful symbol of the Shia Islam. 00:16:19.152 --> 00:16:24.443 The first month of the Muslim calendar - Muharram is the annual period of mourning for the Shia 00:16:24.442 --> 00:16:30.342 Muslims with the 10th of Muharram known as Ashura, the day of the Battle of Karbala, 00:16:30.342 --> 00:16:33.712 becoming the peak day of mourning ceremonies. 00:16:33.712 --> 00:16:39.271 Millions of devoted Shias make the Arbaeen pilgrimage on foot to the Holy Shrine of Imam 00:16:39.272 --> 00:16:42.282 Husain in Karbala every year. 00:16:42.282 --> 00:16:47.953 The Shia defeat in the Battle of Karbala did not stop the supporters of the Ahl al-Bayt 00:16:47.952 --> 00:16:52.732 from opposing the existing state of affairs in the Islamic World. 00:16:52.732 --> 00:16:57.802 Dissenters to the existing state of affairs in Islam would take up the flag of the Party 00:16:57.802 --> 00:17:01.241 of Ali and challenge the rule of the Caliphate. 00:17:01.241 --> 00:17:07.103 Numerous powerful states and dynasties such as the Fatimids, Buyids, Nizaris, Safavids 00:17:07.103 --> 00:17:12.292 and others emerged throughout the Islamic world armed with the powerful idea of Shia 00:17:12.291 --> 00:17:13.641 Islam. 00:17:13.642 --> 00:17:18.182 In our episode on the Hashashins, link to which is in description and pinned comment, 00:17:18.182 --> 00:17:22.872 you can learn about some of the events that followed the Muslim Schism, and we are planning 00:17:22.872 --> 00:17:27.782 more episodes on the topic, so make sure you are subscribed and have pressed the bell button 00:17:27.781 --> 00:17:30.271 to see the next video in the series. 00:17:30.271 --> 00:17:33.751 Please, consider liking, commenting, and sharing - it helps immensely. 00:17:33.751 --> 00:17:38.962 Our videos would be impossible without our kind patrons and youtube channel members, 00:17:38.962 --> 00:17:43.423 whose ranks you can join via the links in the description to know our schedule, get 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